PICTURED: Trump rally attendee Vem Miller arrested at Coachella with two firearms in his car
Vem Miller is a registered Republican who tried to show fake VIP credentials at a Trump rally on Saturday but was instead arrested on illegal firearms charges.
The 49-year-old Las Vegas resident describes himself on LinkedIn as an “investigative journalist” and is the co-founder of what appears to be a fringe, far-right website that promises to “rage against the mainstream media.”
On Saturday, the Riverside County sheriff claimed Miller “probably” wanted to kill former President Donald Trump.
But a source close to Trump’s campaign played down the threat, telling DailyMaill.com that there was no evidence of an assassination attempt.
Vem Miller, 49, was arrested Saturday near Donald Trump’s rally in Coachella, California, after firearms and high-capacity magazines were discovered in his car during a checkpoint investigation
Miller was stopped Saturday at a checkpoint near the former president’s rally in Coachella, California. Police found a loaded firearm and a high-capacity magazine in his vehicle.
He was taken into custody, but as of Sunday posted $5,000 bail and was released.
Miller ran for councilman in Nevada’s 13th District in 2022, according to a still-active Facebook page and his LinkedIn profile.
Through his work as a “content producer,” Miller says he has “learned a lot about politics and how the political world is run, often at the expense of We The People.”
His goal, he claims on LinkedIn, is to “restore constitutional rights, including 2A,” which refers to the Second Amendment right to own firearms, and “stop voter fraud.”
Miller lives in Las Vegas, is a supporter of the Second Amendment and calls himself an investigative journalist. The registered Republican is pictured here with Jacob Chansley, who is known as QAnon Shaman after his image of him in Viking garb during riots at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 went viral.
At his outdoor rallies, Donald Trump has spoken behind a more obvious perimeter of bulletproof glass since the July 13 assassination attempt on him in Butler, Pennsylvania. Pictured: Trump at his rally in Coachella, California on October 12, 2024
According to Facebook and his LinkedIn profile, Vem Miller is running for councilor position in Nevada in 2022
“This incident had no impact on the safety of former President Trump or event attendees,” the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office emphasized in a statement.
But Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco told Southern California News Group: ‘We probably stopped another assassination attempt.’
Bianco, a known Trump supporter, told the outlet that Miller presented fake VIP and press passes at the checkpoint, which led to the search.
Miller was found to be in illegal possession of the firearms, magazines and ammunition when his black SUV was checked by police on Saturday.
He was booked into the John Benoit Detention Center, posted his $10,000 bail — $5,000 for each of the two crimes for which he was charged — and was out of custody as of Sunday.
Miller has his next court appearance scheduled for Jan. 2.
“There was no assassination attempt in California yesterday,” a source close to Trump’s campaign told DailyMail.com. “A man at a perimeter checkpoint had a gun, but there was no incident.”
The latest news comes as Trump’s protective detail remains on high alert following two assassination attempts on the former president.
Miller posted an image featuring 2024 independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his Instagram profile.
Vem Miller says he has more than 20 years of experience as an “investigative journalist, documentary filmmaker and content producer,” who co-founded the far-right website America Happens.
Thousands showed up for Trump’s campaign rally in Coachella, California, on Saturday
The first occurred at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, when 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks struck Trump in the right ear before being shot dead by Secret Service. The would-be assassin killed a protester and seriously wounded two others with his gun while sitting a few hundred yards from where Trump spoke that day.
Just two months later, on August 15, Ryan Wesley Routh, 58, was arrested in Florida as he fled the scene where the Secret Service shot at him.
Routh reportedly pointed a gun at Trump while he was golfing at his club in West Palm Beach before the former president’s security detail saw the barrel of the gun and deterred a second assassination attempt.
Law enforcement snipers looked over Trump’s rally at Calhoun Ranch on Saturday, October 12